Cardiff City project among winners of charity cash award

A CARDIFF City foundation and projects tackling homelessness and drug abuse have been named among the winners of a charity award.

A number of small organisations across Wales have been picked out of nearly 200 applicants to win £6,500 in the Weston Charity Awards.

Celebrating welfare, youth and community service charities that operate with an income of under £5m, the Weston Awards usually support frontline charities in the north of England and Midlands.

But after widening its reach to Wales for the first time this year, five Welsh projects have been named among its 20 winners.

As part of the prize, Cardiff City FC Community Foundation will now receive a core grant of £6,500. The group, which runs programmes of activities to support young people in South Wales, will also receive a year’s strategic planning support.

Supporting people in Cardiff and the Vale, drug and alcohol misuse charity Recovery Cymru will also receive the grant.

Meanwhile Paul Satori Hospice at Home in Pembroke, Swansea Young Single Homeless Project and vulnerable young people group Gisda in Gwynedd were named the other Welsh winners.

Gavin Hawkey, director of Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be a Weston Charity Awards winner.

“We are proud of our work to support children, young people and families to achieve their full potential.

“The support we receive through the awards will help us demonstrate impact, celebrate success and become more sustainable and will make sure we continue to make a difference to people in South Wales for years to come.”

Sarah Vaile, founder and chief executive of winning charity Recovery Cymru, said: “We are proud of our work as a peer-led recovery community empowering people to overcome substance problems.

“The support we will receive from this award will ensure we keep making a difference to people in Cardiff and Vale for years to come.”

Figures from the UK Civil Society Almanac show Wales has the lowest number of charities per person compared to the other countries in the UK.

In Wales there are 2.3 charities per 1,000 people, compared to 3.6 in Scotland.